News
Medical Science Students on a Mission in Guatemala
We're so proud of five members of the amazing dTHS Medical Science Academy - juniors Mia A. ('26), Gabi S. ('26), Lielle T. ('26), Sophie K. ('26), and Ilana L. ('26) – who are now in the Central American nation of Guatemala to support a medical team performing emergency otorhinolaryngology (ENT) surgeries for approximately 100 indigenous children. The surgical procedures on this medical mission include the removal of tonsils, nasal deformities, nasal blockages, eardrum repairs, tongue-ties and the correction and maintenance of tracheostomies. These procedures are lifesaving for many of the children, who otherwise lack access to frontline medical care.
Alongside the Los Angeles-based nonprofit MendingKids.org (MK), and under the supervision and leadership of Dr. Nandini Varma from Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital in Long Beach, participating students will join the surgical suite, shadow and observe surgeries, engage with patients’ family members and provide emotional support to the young patients themselves.
“The firsthand experiences our students gain on these types of missions – including having unfiltered exposure to medical fieldwork and global health delivery abroad – are invaluable and empowering,” said Michael Rayhan, de Toledo’s Medical Science Academy director. “Helping in the process of providing care to children who require urgent surgery and who otherwise would have little access to specialized medical services will be something our students remember for the rest of their lives.”
Located in the San Fernando Valley portion of the City of Los Angeles in Northern Los Angeles County. de Toledo High School is accredited by the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and Builders of Jewish Education (BJE,) and financially supported by the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and the Jim Joseph Foundation.
